traveleronline

On my last trip to Dallas, after 3 days of meeting I was exhausted, so I checked with this cool spa guide on some relax spot in this hectic texan city and I had a wonderful experience. I believe you will also need some wellness therapies after walking up and down the city so you should probably go and pick one of the spas for Dallas (www.infospa.org/city~Dallas~Texas.htm), you won't regret it.

bkluvsNola

dgg,

Very well said.

Coming to the USA and visiting only Dallas is like going to the UK and visiting only Manchester.

stat_man

"...For anyone who has visited Rome, Prague, Boston, Bangkok, Amsterdam, etc., you will find any attempts to compare or "equate" (from a tourist's perspective) these cities (to Dallas) as shocking..."

Well, I've visited Boston and Amsterdam, and I don't have a problem with comparing them.

The Dallas zoo is better than the Amsterdam zoo. I stayed in a hotel across the street from the zoo, as it happens.

People in the know say that Dallas' symphony hall, the Meyerson, is the acoustic equal of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. Amsterdam has some good museums, especially the Van Gogh, but Dallas out-floor spaces Amsterdam in museums.

The 'dam is a cute, compact city, very walkable, whereas most of Dallas-FW is not... OTOH, Dallas' Uptown district is, IMHO, as comfortable and quaint as the Amsterdam neignborhood I lived in.

Amsterdam's transit is mostly streetcars, with a modicum of rail rapid transit. Fine for getting around the inner city, but not so good for traveling around the metro. Dallas' rail and bus system gets the nod here.

Amsterdam's European history is impressive, in contrast to Dallas' recent history, and its canals are a picturesque tourist diversion. The city's tolerance of drugs and promiscuity is a plus to some, but a minus to me. I won't see stoned 20 year olds trancing in Dallas' Deep Ellum.

Boston is close enough in size to DFW to have some similarities. It is definitely more urban and dense than Dallas, and the T service handles the inner city well. Its main tourist appeal is its history and historic buildings, but after two days of touring them, I'd had enough. Still, Boston has the nod over Dallas in terms of history and historic buildings.

For art and music, the two cities are a close match. Dallas' museum spacve exceeds Boston's, although the planned extension to Boston's Fine Art Museum may make a difference. The real advantage Dallas has, though, is the sheer number of its museums compared to Boston. Ten or twelve museums instead of 3 or 4 larger ones means 12 different areas of focus, and much more diversity.

Music? Well, the Boston Symphony is better than the DSO, but not by much. The BSO is in the top 5, but the DSO may move into that ranking with the new conductor, Jaap van Zweden (thank you Amsterdam). In terms of concert halls, Boston's is pretty old and drab, and Dallas' new performing arts center will completely eclipse Boston.

I don't have numbers for Amsterdam, but I do for Boston. Its metro is growing only glacially, and in terms of migration, there are many more Bostonians moving away than Americans moving in. Maybe the Americans know something.

One more note... Boston's suburbs are much more sprawled than Dallas', and commute times are longer... and the trains and stations are poorly maintained compared to Dallas.

stat_man

"...Perhaps we are a little more well-traveled than some, but Dallas would be very, very, very low on my list of must-see places in the US and certainly in the world. It's nice, but it is what it is. Stat_man, if you want to talk about urban and economic growth, that is one thing, but if you want to talk about tourist destinations, there are many, many, many better options..."

You have your interests, DGG, but others have quite different ones. Depending on what a visitor wants, Dallas may be one of the best choices.

If I were interested in the trend called "New Urbanism", Dallas would be one of the best places to see it. If I were a rail transit fan, Dallas is it. For art and classical music, Dallas is one of the strongest cities in America. For film... art, foreign, specialty, and for festivals such as the USA, the Dallas Video Fest, the upcoming AFI International, and a dozen lesser ones, Dallas is the place... or one of the few places you can get it.

Dallas has an extensive and important collection of modern architecture... which many people find compelling. For those who like Art Deco from the 1930's, Dallas' Fair Park is a beacon.

Dallas is one of the best shopping meccas in the United States... another reason to come here. The CVB did a study of customers at the Dallas Galleria and found that about 30% of them were from outside of Texas.

Needless to say, the historic events surrounding the Kennedy assassination have attracted many people to visit the city. Dabber is not the first. Also, it puzzles me, but many people have visited the city out of a fascination for the "Dallas" TV show in the 1980's.

My impression, DGG, is that people like yourself, who live in a city, cannot have a tourist's or visitor's point of view... you have a resident's point of view, which is very different. Of course you have no interest in visiting Dallas. it's too familiar, and you discount the familiar.

By the way, Dabber, a new home movie of the parade preceding the assassination has come to light. It has been published on the 6th floor museum's website. For more info,

dabber

What is happening with the weather in Dallas,I got a 5 day forecast and it is over 70 degrees,is this normal?
Abe and statman please do not get into an argument about who has the best weather.
All this talk about museums and culture is entertaining but dont forget that I come from a country with thousands of years of history and have visited some of the best museums in the world in London!!
I am not visiting Dallas for the culture,I want to see typical everyday American life.I have seen plenty of interesting things at the Natural History museum,the Science museum and the Victoria and Albert museum in London as well as the Tower of London and the Royal palaces,we have also been to the Louvre in Paris and seen the most famous paintings and sculptures in the world,if we get time we may visit a museum but I am more interested in seeing cowboys and other western things that Texas is noted for,if I really wanted history all I have to do is go down to the centre of my own town with its 16th century houses and pubs!!

missypie

Ah, the weather...19 degrees F last Friday morning; 72 degrees F right now. I think it's supposed to be in the mid-50s for the weekend. In mid-March, there is a strong possiblity that you will have lovely weather

missypie

Have you figured out how you're getting to Ft. Worth? I know you mentioned a cab, but that would be very expensive. If you want "western", you must visit Ft. Worth.

dabber

missypie
I will be taking the TRE train as the station is only a few blocks away,I have contacted Grayline tours and am still waiting for a reply,if I dont use them it will be the train,costs about $4.50 and I have got a timetable,I know that a lot of the locals dont use the TRE but does anyone have any advice/information on using it?

missypie

Just watch your return time on the train. Don't know if it's still the case, but there used to be long delays between trains.

Hazelmn

Spring is the right time to visit Dallas. I've found my spring time visits to be the most pleasant, weather-wise.

I'd pack for highs around 60 and lows around 45, and I bet you'll be comfortable.

stat_man

Dabber, sorry if you were bored. The talk about museums and such was not for your benefit, but for the sake of everyone who is reading this thread. If you voice specific questions, though, someone will help you.

HonestAbe

Just to prove that I don't have it in for Dallas...

Dabber - you'll probably be greeted by very nice weather in March. Temperatures should be mild, and you should be a little too early in the year to have major Thunderstorms. I think if you pack for a range of 50-70 during the waking hours, you'll be covered.

If the bluebonnets are in bloom, be sure to see them somewhere. They are a real gem.

Also, make sure to have breakfast at a restaurant called Breadwinners, and to enjoy a burger at the Angry Dog.

suzanne_b4

If you can get to the Knox/Henderson area off of I-75, go to Cafe Madrid. They have great tapas and good sangria.
Also, the Dallas Arboretum should have bulbs in bloom by then. It can be make for a pretty day out.

stat_man

BkluvsNola: "... was just reading an article that the biggest source of population growth into Austin right now was from (1) Dallas, and (2) Houston. Reasons for people leaving those cities was that it was getting too crowded..."

I'd be interested in where you found that article. It is correct that Dallas and Houston have a net migration to Austin, although I arrived at that conclusion via my own research.

As to why it is happening, I have an anternate explanation...

HonestAbe

I, too, question Bkluvsnola's reason for net in-migration from Dallas to Austin.

I would have thought it was because Austin is much prettier and so much more character.

But that's just me.

stat_man

The nature of that "character" is the issue. Austin is basically a refuge for the ideologically left-of-center in Texas. It attracts people who are too politically extreme for the somewhat politically moderate Houston and Dallas.

Dallas' contribution to Austin's corps of lefties is too low... it's way out of proportion to Houston's. And San Antonio's.

Out of 5.2 million in the year 2000, Dallas had a net loss of 8,735. Houston, with 90% of the population of DFW, had a net loss of 19,071. San Antonio, with a population 1/3 that of DFW, had a net loss of 7,163, almost as much as Dallas.

Obviously, Dallas is more succesful in staunching the migration of Austin's natural constituency.

Or maybe it's 3 times as pretty as Houston and San Antonio.

stat_man

Dallas had massive inmigration between 1995 and 2000. Austin is an anomaly, but everywhere in the states surrounding Dallas, in virtually every metro area, Dallas gained migrants at other cities expense. Essentially Dallas is the capital of the South-Central USA, in the same sense that Rome was the capital of its empire, and contained people from every province and colony.

The big cities were actually bigger suppliers of people. Dallas gained 14,701 from LA, 10,174 from Houston, 9,599 from Chicago, 7,025 from New York, 2,949 from St Louis, 2,050 from Washington DC, 1,872 from Miami, 1,554 from San Diego, 1,301 from Philadelphia. The numbers are net, after the people leaving are subtracted from the people moving in.

Even places as obscure as Spearfish South Dakota contributed to Dallas' growth. Dallas gained 37, lost 16, for a net total of 21 new Dallasites from Spearfish. And if you'veer been there, you know it's a beautiful place to be from.

HonestAbe

Wow. Thank you, StatMan. On paper, Dallas seems like a wonderful place.

I still prefer Austin.

HonestAbe

I'm done with this thread. Waste of time (the rest of y'all probably figured that out long ago )

Have a great trip, Dabber!!!

dabber

Thanks Abe,I was hoping to get to 250 responses for this thread,I have learnt some facts about Texas and Dallas that dont really have any bearing on my trip but were interesting??
I do intend to have a good time and will post a new thread about my experiences when I get back,that is if anyone is interested??